According to KFF Health News (8/1), teenagers who end up in emergency departments with “an opioid overdose generally receive naloxone to reverse the effects of dangerous drugs in their system and are sent home with a list of places they can go for follow-up care,” but “too often, those teens never seek additional help.” Instead, “they are left to suffer through the agony of withdrawal with no medications to ease their cravings.” Consequently “many, seeking relief, go back to opioids, often with tragic consequences.” Findingspublished online June 13 in a research letter in JAMA revealed that “most areas of the U.S. lack facilities that offer medically managed withdrawal for patients under 18.”

Related Links:

— “Teens with addiction are often left to detox without medication,”Markian Hawryluk, KFF Health News, August 1, 2023

Reuters (7/31, Satija) reports that the administration “said on Monday it would trial a new payment program for people who provide dementia care coordination services for patients covered by the Medicare health plan.” This “program includes services such as personalized assessments, care plans for patients as well as 24/7 access to a support line.” The new “pilot program will test a per-patient per-month amount payment model for people who provide support services to patients with dementia.”

The Hill (7/31, Choi) reports, “In the GUIDE care model, participating providers will establish dementia care programs through which they will assign people with dementia and their caregivers to ‘care navigators’ who will help them in accessing services and support. Unpaid caregivers would also be connected with training programs and education on best practices.” According to the plan, “Medicare Part B-enrolled providers who are able to bill for Medicare Physician Fee Schedule services and agree to the requirements of the GUIDE model are eligible to apply.”

Modern Healthcare (7/31, Tepper, Subscription Publication) reports that the eight-year program “seeks to keep Medicare enrollees outside of long-term care facilities by extending a package of local care coordination and management and caregiver education and support services.”

Related Links:

— “US announces trial payment program for care providers of dementia patients,”Bhanvi Satija, Reuters, July 31, 2023

Psychiatric News (7/31) reports, “Nearly a quarter of drivers between the ages of 16 and 20 years who have used cannabis in the past year have driven under the influence of the drug,” investigators concluded after examining “data from 12,863 drivers aged 16 to 20 years who participated in the 2020 and 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.” The study revealed that “overall, more people in this age group reported driving under the influence of cannabis than under the influence of alcohol.” The findings were published online July 28 in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

Related Links:

— “More Youth Drive Under the Influence of Cannabis Than Alcohol, Psychiatric News, July 31, 2023

According to the Washington Post (7/31, Ovalle, Nirappil), with the widespread legalization of marijuana, “many experts believe that most people can use it without significant negative consequences, not unlike enjoying occasional alcoholic drinks.” Yet, for some people, “the struggles to quit are real and complicated by the powerful cultural perception that marijuana is natural and therapeutic, not a substance that can be addicting.” Now, however, “medical experts and even many proponents of legalized marijuana acknowledge it can be addictive.” In fact, research published eight years ago in JAMA Psychiatry “found that nearly three in 10 users in 2012-2013 experienced cannabis use disorder.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

NBC News (7/28, Carroll) reported, “Deaths related to excessive alcohol consumption are rapidly rising in the United States, especially among women, a…study finds.” Although “drinking is still killing more men than women, the rate of alcohol-related deaths is rising faster among women, according to the report published…in JAMA Network Open.”

Related Links:

— “More women in the U.S. are drinking themselves to death, research finds,”Linda Carroll, NBC News, July 28, 2023